ROSTER TALK: Mavs favs for Vogel if no HC job exists. Kyrie handshake deal?

[F Gump]

1.  What am I missing?  $19.6 + $5.4 = $25.  $25 x 125% + $100k = $31.35.  Ayton is $30.9.

2. I can understand the sentiment surrounding keeping #10.  The potential of some of the players there is enticing.  We also have the Giannis history arguing against a trade down (especially if it is strictly a financial move).  The Hardy draft gives me hope that maybe Nico is better at this than we give him credit for (or maybe it is just that I watched 'Air' over the weekend).  But, there are some high upside (low floor) guys in the mid-first who might be better than the worst of the guys projected to go 5-10.

1 THJ trade TPE would be 2023-24 salary. June trades use "lesser guaranteed salary of..."

2 What you are saying is you like the quality of players in mid-1st rather than at around 10. But if that's who you like, obviously you can take any of those guys you see as mid-1st at 10; it's not like they aren't there until later (see Mitchell, D. Adebayo, B. Collins, J. etc).

I'm okay with trading down if you can be CERTAIN to get the player you like better, but you also have to be aware someone else may grab your guy if you trade down, even just a few slots. (Like MIL did with Giannis.)

The value in return is going to be better when the other teams comes to you chasing 10, rather than you trying to move down and looking for a partner. Unfortunately, the Mavs already messed that up. Of course.

I do trust that whatever the Mavs do, and how they do it, in regards to the draft, it's more likely than not to be the wrong choice. Trade down too far and miss their guy. Don't negotiate enough value for moving out of 10. Pick the wrong guy where they land. Get some player for the pick who isn't that helpful. Just saying.